Overview
Clean Room enables publishers and advertisers to connect and share aggregated audience data without exposing raw personally identifiable information (PII). First-party data from advertisers is matched with publisher data in a secure environment, allowing for the creation of insights and audiences, and the execution of targeted campaigns while maintaining strict data privacy controls. With Clean Room, advertisers can upload their first-party data and match users with the Permutive publisher ecosystem without having to expose raw PII or sign lengthy Data Protection Agreements. Once users are matched, audiences can be created either by direct matching or using Permutive lookalike technology. These audiences can then be activated for campaign execution within the ad server or via curation channels.Why Use Clean Room?
Secure data collaboration — Clean Room enables publishers and advertisers to collaborate on audience targeting without exposing raw user data. All matching happens in a secure environment where neither party can access the other’s raw identifiers. No lengthy DPAs required — Advertisers can onboard their first-party data without signing lengthy Data Protection Agreements with each publisher, accelerating campaign setup and reducing legal overhead. Flexible audience creation — Create audiences through direct matching (users known to both parties) or extend reach using Permutive’s lookalike technology to find similar users across the publisher’s audience.Concepts
Definitions
- Supply-side workspace: The publisher’s workspace where they manage connections with advertisers, configure ad server targeting, and handle deal information.
- Demand-side workspace: The advertiser’s workspace where they manage data sources and create clean room audiences. In publisher-driven workflows, publishers also have demand-side access.
- Matched Cohort: An audience of users who appear in both the publisher’s and advertiser’s datasets. Created by matching common identifiers.
- Modeled Cohort: A lookalike audience that extends reach beyond matched users by finding similar users based on behavioral patterns.
- Data Source: The advertiser’s first-party data uploaded to Clean Room, containing user identifiers and segment assignments.
Workflows
Clean Room supports two workflow models based on your business relationship:Permutive-Driven (One-to-Many)
Permutive brings advertiser demand to publishers. Publishers manage connections and ad server targeting while advertisers have full control over audience creation.| Party | Workspace Access | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | Supply-side | Set up connections, configure ad server targeting, provide deal info |
| Advertiser | Full demand-side | Manage data sources, create audiences, full platform access |
Publisher-Driven (One-to-One)
Publishers work directly with their own advertiser customers and maintain control over audience creation.| Party | Workspace Access | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | Supply-side + Demand-side | Set up connections, create audiences, configure targeting, provide deal info |
| Advertiser | Limited demand-side | Manage data sources, permission data to publisher |
Setup
Prerequisites
- Access to the Permutive Platform
- For publishers: Active Audience Platform account with Permutive to collect first-party data
- For identity matching: Common identifiers between publisher and advertiser (e.g., hashed emails, mobile advertising IDs)
- For enabling Clean Room: Contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to discuss commercial terms
- Permutive-Driven (One-to-Many)
- Publisher-Driven (One-to-One)
Publisher Setup (Supply-side workspace)
Enable Clean Room for Your Organization
Clean Room is a paid product. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to discuss enabling Clean Room for your organization and complete the order form. Upon fulfillment, Permutive will create a Vault for you.
Set Up Connections
Connect with advertisers who have a Permutive account. You’ll provide them access to your supply-side data through connections. See the Setting Up Advertiser Connections guide.
Configure Ad Server Targeting
Once the advertiser has created audiences in their demand-side workspace, configure targeting in your ad server. See the Configuring Ad Server Targeting guide.
Provide Proposal and Deal Information
Share proposal details and deal IDs with the advertiser for campaign execution. See the Sharing Proposal and Deal Information guide.
Advertiser Setup (Full demand-side workspace)
Get Permutive Account Access
Sign a Data Processing Agreement with Permutive and receive your demand-side workspace access. Contact your Permutive representative to begin the onboarding process.
Configure Data Sources
Upload your first-party data (hashed emails, mobile IDs, etc.) to your data sources for matching with publisher data. See the Uploading Advertiser Data guide.
Create Clean Room Audiences
Build matched audiences (users known to both parties) or modeled audiences (lookalike expansion) from the matched data. See the Creating Clean Room Audiences guide.
Guides
Step-by-step instructions for working with Clean Room. For publishers:Setting Up Advertiser Connections
Connect with advertisers in the Clean Room
Configuring Ad Server Targeting
Set up targeting in GAM or Microsoft Monetize
Sharing Proposal and Deal Information
Configure PMP deals in GAM
Uploading Advertiser Data
Upload first-party data to data sources
Creating Clean Room Audiences
Build matched and modeled audiences
Configuring Frequency Control
Set up frequency caps for campaigns
Troubleshooting
No users matched between publisher and advertiser
No users matched between publisher and advertiser
This typically occurs when there are no common identifiers between the publisher and advertiser datasets.Solution:
- Verify that both parties are using the same identifier types (e.g., both using hashed emails or both using mobile advertising IDs)
- Check that identifier formatting is consistent (e.g., emails are lowercase and trimmed before hashing)
- Ensure the publisher is collecting the necessary identifiers in their DMP setup
- Consider using an ID Bridge provider to enable matching when parties don’t share common identifiers
Cannot create advertiser connection - organization ID not found
Cannot create advertiser connection - organization ID not found
The advertiser’s organization ID may be incorrect or the advertiser may not have a Permutive account set up yet.Solution:
- Ask the advertiser to verify their organization ID by logging into Settings in the Permutive dashboard (format: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx)
- Ensure the advertiser has completed their Permutive account setup and signed the required Data Processing Agreement
- Contact Technical Services if you need to grant provisional access to a vault when publishers are ready to work with an advertiser
Environment Compatibility
Core Product
| Environment | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Web | Yes | Full support |
| iOS | No | Not supported |
| Android | No | Not supported |
| CTV | No | Not supported |
| API Direct | No | Not supported |
Dependencies
Clean Room relies on the following products and configurations:| Dependency | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DMP | ✓ | Publishers must have an active DMP setup to collect first-party data for matching |
| Custom Cohorts | ✓ | Custom cohorts are used as features for building modeled audiences and as the basis for matched cohorts |
| Identity Solution | ~ | When publisher and advertiser don’t share common identifiers, an ID Bridge provider (WiNR, Tapad) may be required |
| Ad Server Integration | ✓ | An active integration with an ad server (GAM, Xandr) is required to activate and target clean room cohorts |
FAQ
What identifiers can be used for matching?
What identifiers can be used for matching?
Clean Room supports matching on hashed emails (SHA-256), mobile advertising IDs, and IP addresses. Both parties must use the same identifier type for matching to occur.
How long does it take to process uploaded data?
How long does it take to process uploaded data?
Data processing can take several hours depending on dataset size. You can monitor the data source status in the interface.
What's the difference between matched and modeled cohorts?
What's the difference between matched and modeled cohorts?
Matched cohorts contain only users who appear in both the publisher’s and advertiser’s datasets. Modeled cohorts extend reach by using lookalike technology to find similar users beyond the matched set.
Changelog
2025
December 2025- Documentation restructured to follow new product documentation standards
For detailed changelog information, visit our
Changelog.